About Us

The dedicated and professional team at Advanced Composite Structures Australia provides:

- Unique composites knowledge leveraging more than 25 years of experience in advanced composites.

- An interdisciplinary, integrated and flexible group of specialists that is is globally recognised for solving challenging problems in novel ways.

- A track record of successful delivery of advanced composites related services to clients spanning a range of diverse markets.

History

ACS Australia is recognised as one of Australia’s leading composite technology organisations and brings value to clients by directly providing value adding services or managing partner and research organisations to deliver innovative solutions. Industries that have benefited from the work of ACS Australia include Aerospace, Defence, Maritime, Automotive, Ground Transport, Sporting Goods, Renewable Energy and Civil Infrastructure.

ACS Australia’s beginnings were in research and development and our staff have participated in and managed major research collaborations. Hence, we have significant experience and success in writing grant funding applications and providing management services for technology development programs.

Our Team

ACS Australia employs over 25 highly experienced staff in a range of engineering and business roles. It has a small, active board of Directors and a management team that personally oversee projects and liaise with clients.

ACS Australia Board Members

Murray Scott

Chairman

Professor Murray Scott has over 35 years experience in the field of Aerospace Engineering, and has worked in both industry and academia, mainly in Australia, but also in Germany, Netherlands, UK and USA. He has made major contributions to the development of advanced composite materials and structures, particularly over the past 25 years, and has an outstanding record of achievement in research, teaching and professional activities at various levels.

His many company and academic appointments are fitting recognition of his professional standing, as were his election firstly as President and then as a World Fellow of the International Committee on Composite Materials (ICCM). Since 1994, he has represented Australia on the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) and he served as President for a two-year period from 2013 to 2014.

Murray was CEO of the highly acclaimed CRC for Advanced Composite Structures for over 13 years and before that was a research leader from its inception in 1991 through RMIT University, of which he continues to be an Adjunct Professor.

Bill Schofield

AM, BE (Mech), MEngSci, PhD, FTSE, FRAeS

Deputy Chairman

Dr Schofield AM is the current CEO of Australian Aerospace and Defence Innovation Ltd (AADI). Dr Schofield spent 37 years in DSTO holding a variety of scientific jobs including First Assistant Secretary Science Policy and Director of the Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory where he was responsible for delivering DSTO’s scientific and technical advice to the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. He has been a member of the board of ACS Australia since its inception.

ACS Australia Management Team

Paul Falzon

BEng (Aero), PhD

General Manager

Dr Paul Falzon has over 18 years of research and development experience in the field of advanced composite materials and manufacturing. In that time, he has been responsible for leading and managing research projects focussed primarily in manufacturing and joining of composites with the principal aim of reducing process cost and improving quality. These projects involved the research, development and demonstration of manufacturing technologies for aerospace, maritime, oil and gas and general composites sectors.

A highlight was the development of a liquid moulding technology which has been successfully adopted by Australian industry and used to produce aerospace components for business valued at AUD 4 billion.

Paul has also published over 40 journal articles and conference papers in composites manufacturing related topics.

Rodney Thomson

BEng (Aero), PhD

Engineering Manager

Dr Rodney Thomson has over 18 years of research and development experience in the design and analysis of composite structures for aerospace, maritime, automotive and oil & gas applications. In that time, he led and managed research and commercial projects in low and high energy impact, helicopter crashworthiness testing and simulation, bird-strike simulation, optimisation algorithms for composites, low-cost composites for automotive applications and improved computational methods for predicting failure of composite structures. He led long-standing research collaborations with Airbus, the German Aerospace Centre and the US Naval Research Laboratories, as well as the CRC‑ACS contribution to the European Union 6th Framework Program COCOMAT. He has over 70 journal and conference publications and has contributed two book chapters.

Rodney is currently the Engineering Manager at ACS Australia, overseeing all contract activities with commercial clients.

Tessa Kirkpatrick

Administration Manager

Prior to taking on the role of Administration Manager for ACS Australia on a full-time basis in February 2015, Tessa worked as Company Accountant for the CRC-ACS on a part-time basis for over 10 years. Tessa has also held various roles in the past within RMIT University, School of Aerospace Engineering, on a full and part-time basis, including Secretary to Head of School, Administration Manager, Finance Administration (Wackett Centre), and Human Resources Coordinator.

Andre Duarte

Business Development Manager

Andre Duarte is an internationally recognised marketing and business development executive with expertise in the aerospace and composite materials industries. He has proven experience in a variety of commercial roles, with ACS Australia, as a business consultant, marketing manager and currently as business development manager; and has previously led a global aerospace business unit at SAERTEX in Germany, where he successfully managed a diverse sales and marketing team and developed strategic business relationships with a number of aerospace manufacturers.

Andre has also held specialist technical positions with Boeing - Aerospace Technologies of Australia (now Boeing Aerostructures Australia), where he provided materials & manufacturing support on the 787 moveable trailing edge and various other R&D programs.